Coincident Statement Linestage

Introduction.This is my first time writing
on these pages, and it’s a real pleasure for me. I think that an introduction
is in order, and may even be of interest to you, so please take a look at my
profile in the dedicated section of Audio-activi … team. There you'll find some
info about me, and you can get an idea of what my priorities are when reviewing
Hi-End components. Are you ready? Well, let's go then!The man behind the company,
the product behind the man.The electronics we are talking
about, manufactured by the Canadian firm Coincident Speaker Technology, has
been an important part of my system for over a year now so I’m confident that I
can give you an accurate analysis and well-informed opinion. Space is limited
and I'd rather use it to talk about electronics so I’ll let you do your own
research on the history of this company founded in 1993. You can visit the
manufacturer's website for complete and detailed information. I just want to
point out that it is a solid enterprise established twenty years ago, and it
has a strong presence in the market today.Some mention is due to the sales
policy, which is based on direct distribution from the manufacturer to the end
customer. The benefits of this policy are clear when it comes to purchase
price, but the downside is that you cannot listen to the components before
buying them. One common feature in the high-end niche is that behind the brand
and the company, there is a person. The man behind this company is Israel
Blume, and he is personally responsible for the entire concept, design and
development. He is surely one of a kind in
the colorful world of high-end. He is very direct, frank, friendly, but with a
touch of good-natured “grumpiness” at times. He certainly is a man with strong
and distinct ideas. You will not find in his products that hint of
“copy&paste” that often seeps into the multitude of items filling the
high-end landscape. His ideas are clear and are a direct consequence of even
clearer goals. There is little or no concession to compromise, even when this
would mean the conquest of a potentially larger market.

The objective.The "mission" of the
Statement Linestage tube preamplifier, the unique object of this test, is to
"disappear" from the system and to enable volume setting and optimum
regulation of impedance between the source and the power amplifier, without
interfering with their tonal balance. Its mission is to blend transparency and
silence of the best passive transformer preamps with the dynamics and
flexibility of the best active preamplifiers. A rather clear goal: the creation
of an electronic device that does not impose its presence. This first
observation should already be enough to screen the potential
"audience" of the Statement Linestage. Those that want a preamplifier
that carries its own sound and connotes the timbre of our system, will have to
look elsewhere. Similarly, any comfort features - and the circuit complications
that often come with it - are completely banned by the designer whenever they
might interfere with pure performance or the target. The Statement Linestage
was designed to be a "fundamentalist", just like its creator, and
you'll have to accept that like it or not. It has only two line inputs, one of
which is selectable between balanced and unbalanced, and two outputs equally
implemented for a possible passive bi-amp. There are two separate knobs to
adjust volume, and no remote control. Israel is not willing to change anything
in his design because every choice - he states - is the result of listening
tests and, I would say, the belief that "less is more". Take it or
leave it. The only exceptions - and they are not minor - are aimed at enabling
the best integration with the rest of the system. So –when ordering you can
request a simple re-wiring to have two balanced inputs or two balanced outputs,
one excluding the other. Another option that is even more interesting and
useful is the ability - by re-wiring the signal transformers - to lower gain
from 20 to 14dB. Given the output level of modern digital sources and the high
gain of power amps on the market ... well ... how shall I put it ... medium to
low preamplifier gain, in general, is good and the right way to go. There are
many reasons for this, but I’ll just run through a few very briefly:1 - Being able to have a
reasonable number of volume control steps before reaching high sound pressure levels.2 - Being able to operate
where these steps are usually closer to each other in a discretized attenuation
system. Add to this, in the case of a classic potentiometer, the ability to
operate where the tracking of the two channels is more linear.3 - Simply said ... The
preamp’s high gain , when paired with an equally high degree of power amp gain
– connected to rather sensitive speakers - will raise the thermal noise to an
annoying level and this will compromise the dynamic headroom of our system.Lastly, another useful feature
of this preamp is that it comes with a ground lift switch. This is very useful
when there are noise problems associated with ground loops.The preamplifier.Let’s first take a brief look
at how it presents itself, what it shows and also a little of what lies
"under the hood". I have been asked to maintain confidentiality in
the description of some of the circuit features (which is understandable),
especially considering that these are unique solutions, and it would not be too
difficult to copy them if disclosed. As the pictures show, there are two frames
of unusual shape (25 cm L x 35 cm W x 20 cm H). The faceplates are classic
brushed aluminum cast and the chassis is polished stainless steel sheet. The
level of detail is very good, though I’m personally not crazy about the design
(anyway, it is a highly subjective matter). As expected in one chassis there is
the power supply (and what a power supply! I should say) while in the other
chassis there is the heart of the linestage: the signal path. Between them is a
rather rigid umbilical cord equipped with connectors with good safety lock
screw. As mentioned, the first surprise comes when you see the front panel of
the amplification chassis. What at first glance might be mistaken for the
classic knobs used to control volume and input selection, are actually two
independent volume control potentiometers. We’ll come back to the
characteristics of the attenuator later. Continuing with our observation, there
is only one toggle switch to select mute and another one to switch between the
only two available inputs. The "obsession" for the lowest possible
signal degradation leads this design to exclude any relays in the signal path
in both input and output stages. Balancing can "theoretically" be
done by separate adjustment of the volume for the two channels, but this
regulation can be exploited to an acceptable degree only when operating in a
range of attenuation whose steps are close together. Anyhow, I wouldn’t
consider it a real option if you need good balance adjustment (excuse me, but
does anybody still think that a good balance, if bad placement of the speakers
make it necessary, can be achieved only through level adjustment without working
on the time domain?).So we’ve seen the ergonomic
limits of this little jewel, now let's briefly talk about its remarkable
design. You might prefer to know how it sounds straightaway (or how it
"doesn‘t sound"), but let’s give the devil his due. We have plenty of
unique and refined solutions, and I promise that I will be brief.

A glance at the project.It goes without saying that
the power supply is, by choice - to minimize noise - rectified and entirely
solid state stabilized. It is fully dual-mono and uses mixed
inductive/capacitive filtering. The inductors and transformers, encapsulated in
resin, are all custom built in Japan and wired in "6N" copper, to the
delight of these wits. The anodic, outside the earliest stage of high capacity
filter, uses multiple Solen polypropylene capacitors for leveling. High quality
and high dissipation resistors are used. Everything is strictly point-to-point
wired in a decidedly remarkable way (order reigns supreme) without using any
printed circuits. My personal congratulations are due to the quality and rigor
of assembly. Shifting our attention to the chassis dedicated to signal
processing, we find the true and deeper features of this preamp. According to
the "mission" declared, the structure is a sure result of the
designer's admiration for the best features found in transformer passive
preamps. Fortunately for you, I was asked not to go into too much detail on
certain technical features, which would be needed to fully enjoy the uniqueness
of its design. We will limit ourselves to a rough summary, although we simply must
mention a few key elements, following the delicate signal (single channel) from
input to output:1 - Adjusting discrete - in 24
steps - transformer balanced volume control.2 - "Special" -
forgive the dreadful vagueness of the term - transformer coupling with the next
and only active stage.3 - Amplifying stage performed
by a direct heating (DHT) single triode, to be precise the increasingly known
101D - chosen for its excellent qualities of linearity and transparency -.3a - It is hardly necessary to
mention the absence of any negative feedback loop.3b - Elastic suspension of the
triode 101D ceramic socket, to minimize/eliminate the effects of the well-known
microphone vulnerability.4 - Output transformer
coupling.

In general these two aspects
should be highlighted:1 - Exclusive use of
Supermalloy signal transformers wired in "6N" copper and encapsulated
with resin. These are also custom made in Japan.2 - No capacitor or resistor
in series with the signal.Superfluous, once again,
pointing out the absence of any printed circuits. Everything is wired
point-to-point with great skill and especially rare order (to protect the
minimization of interference, resulting in maximization of silence).The Triode.Well, we did our duty and
described this particular "tool", at the service of our music
experience. If you want to know more about the 101D tube, the web is always a
good source of information. Just remember that the whole preamp - and essentially
we are talking about transformers - was born and lives around this triode. Why
do I stress this? Because the 101D has a natural tendency to slightly soften
the bottom end despite its impressive transparency and absence of coloring.
This is evidently compensated by the design of the preamplifier as practically
no attenuation on the deep bass can be heard once you’re burned in the preamp
and its many transformers, which is a rather long process.The system.If you are (rightly) asking
yourselves how reliable my assessment is on the deep bass expressed by this
system, I think It's about time to introduce the rest of the system where I
placed the Coincident Statement Linestage:Storage/files player: music
dedicated fanless server, Windows 8 pro O.S. and media player J-River WASAPI
Event Style mode.DAC system: dCS Scarlatti Up-Sampler + Scarlatti DAC +
Scarlatti Master clockPower amplifier: Viola Bravo
IISpeakers: Evolution Acoustics
MM3 (self-powered below 100Hz)Interconnect, loudspeaker and
power cables: Elrod Statement GoldRacks: Solid Tech Rack of
Silence Reference Extreme, Music Tools.The system, as a whole, is not
only able to reach the limit of the lower frequency spectrum but it can do so
even at pressures that are, so to say, "generous". This makes the
assessment of the full range of audible frequencies a merely analytical,
spontaneous and natural exercise, and not an effort to the imagination or
intuition.The first hearing.Added to this system, the
Statement Linestage (line chassis positioned on a shelf suspended on springs
and with Solid Tech "Feet of Silence” interposition), in some ways seems
to hide so that it can perform the hard work while you’re not aware of its
presence. But it can be spotted quite easily if you pay attention to details.
For the way it looks you might expect - wrongly this time - color or tonal
change that are easily identifiable and a predisposition to a certain range of
frequencies more than others ... and again a certain background noise typically
associated with direct heating triodes. But .. surprise! Preconceptions are
debunked. Nothing is the way you expected it to be! I am not saying that they
have to show you the tubes to make you aware they are there, but in many ways
this is somehow true. The balance between the frequency ranges is flawless, no
favoritism, no forward - or backward depending on your interpretation - for one
portion of the spectrum over the other. The perception of transparency is very
high. Statement Linestage in some ways does not play but lets the music lead
the game. As mentioned, however, "flushing it out" can be rather
simple, even if in a decidedly more indirect way.

Comparative Analysis.As a reference, the last two
preamps in my system were respectively the second version of a balanced hybrid
from the American school - that was rightly inserted in the elite of famous
tube preamps - and an extremely refined solid state, the natural companion of
the Viola Bravo II, the Viola Spirito II. The hybrid preamplifier asserted its
presence dramatically on the "stage", playing the leading role. And
it actually was a leader. When powered up it took just a second to acknowledge
its presence. When turned off its absence was clear. Not only for its regal
soundstage (I think we could open a long discussion about the perceived
dimensions of the soundstage and its sound sources, and the simultaneous
capability/possibility of being able to focus them perfectly ... but it would
be like opening Pandora’s box) and its dynamic contrast but especially for its
voices, at times really moving. Colored sound? Well, I honestly do not feel I
can say anything to the contrary. Call it, if you like, "euphonic" –
in the curious and partly distorted meaning the word has acquired in the hi-fi
vocabulary - if not really colored. It was certainly advanced, just like its
upper-bass stood out in particular to give a (sometimes) pleasant and I maybe
desired "punchy" effect, without losing - too much - control in a
challenging bass riff. The macrodynamics were really explosive and enthralling,
but, how shall I put it, during my listening experience I had the constant
feeling of beautiful and engaging "special effects". In harmony with
the music, intended and designed to magnify it, but perceptually beyond the
scope of the recording (whether that's a bad thing or a good thing will depend
on what you’re looking for), or, at least - since the real recorded sound is
not known -, well beyond the concept of a transparent amplification of the
signal returned from the source. Its presence was felt through dominating
elements, and as such they slightly “flatten out” the different recordings.
Defining them as defects would be risky if not wrong, I think it's a matter of
choice. There were a few drawbacks, such as an excusable but clear limit in
extension and robustness in deep bass (immediately heard with a direct
source-end connection. We could open up another intriguing discussion about capacitor
or transformer coupling…), some background noise that was not really that low
in absolute terms and microdynamics a little overtaken by the macrodynamics. I got off the subject a
little. We are not here to tell you about something that has been, but we want
to highlight what Coincident offers today through comparisons with other
components. Paradoxically - but not too much -, if the hybrid preamp
represented, in our close examination, a sort of "Nemesis" towards
the Coincident, the Viola Spirito II presents, on the contrary, many points in
common despite the designs being so different. Both choose to impose their timbre
as little as possible - the bypass test is always revealing -. Similarly, both
preamps take extremely great care of the delicate microdynamics, not lacking at
all in macrodynamic accuracy. The Viola Spirito II can be considered a
benchmark if we talk about "silence" (and, people, the music is
hidden in its silence), extreme ease of attacks and releases, polished fine
detail and extraordinary focus of sound sources (I’ll leave the consequences up
to you in terms of presence perceived). Going on in this comparison, I can say
that the extension of low-frequency side of the Statement Linestage closely
follows that of the Viola Spirito II; both of them are a little lean in the
first octave with respect to the direct sound of source-> power amplifier.
But when I say a little, believe me, I literally mean something so slight that
it is hardly percievable. And at that level, even the forced introduction of an
additional interconnect cable may move the sound that way. Nothing comparable
to what is described above for the hybrid preamplifier. The frequency range and
the linearity of the Linestage is therefore excellent. The top end is free from
constraints, airy (even if that particular parameter is not perhaps the
so-called "last word"), refined and well-integrated, like very few
I've heard. Again, compared to Viola Spirito II, the Coincident shares a very
similar interpretation regarding the soundstage, both very different from the
"king size", advanced and "immersive" presentation of the
hybrid preamplifier. The Spirito II, as mentioned, proved its truly remarkable
ability to focus sound sources, absolutely unattainable with the hybrid, and
hardly reached by the Coincident. The Viola expressed an excellent sound with
well-defined instruments following realistic proportions (where permitted by
the recording of course) and without the magnifying glass effect, which can be
appreciated or not. As a direct consequence of this extraordinary ability to
focus the sound, the soundstage of the Viola reflected neither more nor less
than what was supposedly in the recording, developing extensively 3D sound,
without any sort spectacularization. Once limit I found was that the perception
of the executors was less “solid”, “physical” compared to other top performers
in that area. I could surely hear less focus from the hybrid
preamplifier but a more "immersive" sound, in a wider soundstage (as
a direct consequence of the much lower focus). Both performances have their
fans and I can understand both preferences. Where does the Statement
Linestage stand? Between the two, although much closer to the Spirito II than
the hybrid. The level of focus doesn’t reach the "micrometric"
precision of Viola's preamplifier of reference, on the other hand the tubes
give a very refined and delicate sign of their presence in terms of a slightly
greater physical and solid presence, and a more immediate perception of their
volumes and a tonal palette extremely rich with nuances. The “last word” in terms of resolution at extremely low levels
may still remain a Viola’s affair, but the Statement Linestage very, very close
by. In both cases, we are basically at the top, though to note that the
Statement Linestage is more prone to an "organic/holistic"
presentation of the musical message (not that Viola is not ... the result is a
quite unusual solid state), rather than fragmented and concentrated to enhance
one feature or another.

The non-sound.We are now getting closer to
identifying/unmasking our Coincident Statement Linestage at last. Connect it
and tonal variation will be at a minimum. Disconnect it and after a few minutes
you'll probably (like me) jump nervously from one track to another; dissatisfied
without knowing why. A few more minutes of dissatisfaction and I know what to
do: I re-connect the preamp. The tone is "mine" (i.e. the one
generated by the rest of the system), but it is clear that the direct
connection source->amplifier shows a more "hectic" pace, almost a
desire to unduly rush and scramble. To take away any doubt I remember my second
weakness, the dear old "PRaT", and so I'll never be able to tolerate
"sleepy" electronics. Coincident is nowhere near this. Here, the
Statement Linestage, like the Viola Spirito II, is "simply" a great
orchestra leader. It sets the pace with the balance and the naturalness I
experienced in only a very few other great preamps. Its attacks know when they
need to be quick, its steady hand knows when to show authority without ever
being authoritarian. The complexity is admirable and the harmonic range (a second and extremely delicate triode
presence?) is returned without any favored inclination in the spectrum. Another
point that is worthy of praise is its successful effort to preserve and
enlighten every sound source, even the lowest, until it naturally fades out.
These details were polished out with great care, and they are always integrated
in the body of the sound. It is all expressed with intrinsic naturalness and
difficult to put words to. Not only will you tap your feet to the
rhythm and your arms move like those of a director during an orchestra
crescendo, but they will keep on moving for a long, long time. Natural emission
and lack of any listening strain are easy lovers, you know. In contrast, the
direct connection source->amplifier results in an unnatural frenzy, a kind
of engulfment of micro-dynamics, swallowed by dominant macro dynamics. The
result is a more "artificial" listening experience, in some ways more
mechanical and less natural making it more tiring and unsatisfying.Reinserted the Statement
Linestage, although the intention was to listen to the same tracks of reference
for further A/B comparisons, I ended up hopelessly listening to entire records
... Again taken in by the music and its silences. Forgive me if I repeat
myself, but the Statement Linestage is really very close to a perception of
"non" sound with the objective of being at the service of your music,
of tonal balance returned by your source of reference. It makes you forget the
system and involves you in the message. It succeeds in doing this even though
it's decidedly "high-fidelity" electronics that does not accept the
compromise to embellish what is not beautiful.Conclusion.Well, I think I've finished
with this far from complete fresco describing this very interesting electronic
device. I do not consider it an assault limited to a specific type of preamp
(tube rather than solid state or passive), but rather an assault on the role of
high fidelity preamps altogether. I encourage you to listen to it at your local
dealer's, but unfortunately this is not possible given their sales policy.
Well, if I could I'd love to ask Israel Blume to maintain his policy of direct
sales (with direct benefits in terms of quality/performance/price) but to
arrange, if and where possible, a listening room for their products in each
nation. That said, perhaps it is worth remembering that I compared the
Coincident Statement Linestage, listed at $ 5,499, International shipping
included (import costs and taxes excluded), with a $ 16,500 hybrid pre and a
solid state - sublime - of nearly $ 50,000 (prices may not be updated). The
latter use the usual distribution networks (i.e. with the possibility of trades,
discounts, etc).In conclusion ... Are you
looking for a preamplifier that at the touch of a button selects listening
volume or source? Do you love computer music, so
you don't have to get off the couch to change the record? Do you have several
balanced sources to manage and want to do it all at once? Well, I'm afraid this
is not the product for you then ... Unless you fall in love and decide to
happily change your habits just "for him" ... this is exactly what
happened to me.Tweaks.Recommended and
cost-effective:Damper UltraSonic RX Herbie's
Audio LabDynamat Extreme ... placed
everywhere but with common sense.Not recommended: for the time
being replacing the 101D solid plate with the 101D mesh plate showed no
improvement. I believe the reason is to be found in non-real "mesh"
construction of the current 101D, which is made out to be a mesh plate but it
is actually only a simple perforated plate. If there is any improvement in
results, I will certainly report back to you.Luciano